Convened by CODATA and co-sponsored by a number of important international organisations including the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR), the International Workshop on Big Data for International Scientific Programmes took place on 8-9 June in Beijing. The workshop was designed to provide a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges of ‘Big Data’ for international collaborative scientific programmes, including:

• ICSU-­sponsored programmes such as Future Earth and Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR),
• International initiatives such as the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE), and
• Initiatives sponsored by the Belmont Forum.

As a first practical step towards focusing attention on the potential of Big Data for international scientific programmes, the workshop participants and sponsoring organisations have agreed and published a Statement of Recommendations and Actions.

Further information about the Workshop on Big Data for International Scientific Programmes is available on the CODATA Blog.